The National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) recommends making the use of codeine and tramadol safe, to prevent the risk of dependence, misuse and prescription falsification linked to these medications.
She has just announced the implementation of the following measures:
- from 1is December 2024, medicines containing tramadol, codeine and dihydrocodeine, alone or in combination with other substances (paracetamol, ibuprofen, etc.), will be dispensed only upon presentation of a secure prescription. The prescriber must have written in full: dosage, dosage and duration of treatment ;
- the maximum prescription duration of codeine is reduced to 12 weeks (3 months)as is the case for tramadol. Beyond this period, continued treatment with codeine will require a new prescription.
To note
Prescriptions established before 1is December 2024 will remain valid until their expiry.
Rappel
Medicines containing codeine have been subject to medical prescription since 2017. For tramadol, the maximum prescription period has been 3 months since April 2020 and in April 2024, at the request of the ANSM, boxes containing fewer tablets are marketed to respond to short-term treatments.
What is a secure prescription?
A secure prescriptionalso called a “protected prescription”, must meet the criteria aimed at making it tamper-proof. These criteria are defined by the French Standardization Association (AFNOR):
- on the prescription, mention of mandatory information pre-printed in blue to identify the prescribing healthcare professional, even when he or she belongs to a multidisciplinary structure (a secure prescription cannot be blank);
- presence of systems to combat fraud, counterfeiting, falsification and theft;
- recognition immediately possible by the pharmacist, without having to have specific means;
- appearance of a watermark representing a caduceus;
- absence of optical brightener on the paper;
- minimum weight set at 77 g/m2.
Recommendations for use of drugs containing tramadol or codeine
The ANSM reminds you of the instructions to follow when using these 2 medications:
- respect the dosage, duration of treatment and interval between doses;
- do not suddenly stop your treatment, to avoid side effects linked to withdrawal. Your doctor or pharmacist will tell you how to do this;
- never offer your treatment to anyone close to you, even if they seem to you to have symptoms similar to yours;
- If a person (child or adult) has ingested tramadol or codeine that was not intended for them, contact a poison control center or emergency room immediately: 15 (Find), 18 (firefighters) or 112 (all emergencies: medical, fire, security);
- for people at risk of overdose who have a naloxone kit (opioid antidote): if the person is drowsy, call for help, administer naloxone and keep the person awake until help arrives.
